


I got you blue

by Dodo



Series: I anthropomorphize everything [16]
Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Steve is a leucistic raven, Superfamily (Marvel), Tony Stark Cuddles, courting, hydra ducks, preening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-22
Packaged: 2020-01-05 19:16:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,490
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18372389
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dodo/pseuds/Dodo
Summary: Tony a raven who was injured on the 4th of july, is nursed back to health and promptly falls into the wrong crowd of birds. While he struggles to recover and avoid the gorgeous white raven that is bullying him for reasons unknown. Tony makes a few unlikely friends along the way has he pulls out all the stops to get into the white raven's nest.





	1. rockets’ red flare

**Author's Note:**

  * For [wynnesome](https://archiveofourown.org/users/wynnesome/gifts).



> who doesn't like birds?
> 
> I don't have a beta

Tony woke up in a strange place, in pain. He was in some sort of box wrapped up on a cloth, and his chest hurt. He cried out for Rhodey, and then Pepper, but calling out hurt his chest. He dropped his head onto the cloth. At least the box was warm and he could see out one side. Though it didn’t help because he couldn’t recognize anything outside the box.

He must be inside a human box, he’d seen one walk past. That would explain all the unfamiliarity of the environment that he could see. He slouched onto the wall of the box. How had he gotten here? He’d been flying at dusk trying to get back to the branch before the sun slipped away…

There was a bang, such violent noises. So loud that he’d felt them reverberate in his chest. Also the brilliantly blinding lights that appeared before the bangs. He’d been hit by one and toppled through a tree, he’d managed to land… on humans. 

He shifted nervously hoping that it was the good ones that helped. He’d heard stories of them, Yinsen one of the older ravens in their group had been helped by kind humans, they managed to help him keep his toe. Granted Yinsen only had one toe on that foot, but it had been fishing line and they had made sure he’d live. Tony hoped he was at what Yinsen called an animal hospital. A place where animals get better.

Tony would like to get better his chest really ached, it hurt to move his wings. It hurt to caw, he loved to caw, he had the prettiest call in the unkindness. He made a feeble peep noise, the cloth was wrapped around him probably to prevent him from flapping his wings. Clever humans, it bother him that they had that foresight.

His tummy was hungry though, and the hunger pains and chest pains warred between his body, eventually his wings ached too. He couldn’t catch a break, so he flopped onto his back, using his feet to loosen the cloth. Opening his wings a bit he lay there in misery. Hoping a human would notice that he’d died in their care, slowly starving wasting away to nothing.

He flexed his claws it was the only thing he could do at the moment that wasn’t painful. The dull hunger pains and the sharp pain in his chest. Pulling at the cloth till it was rumpled and looser, at least he wouldn’t overheat now. Not that it matter much the box was warm but not hot, he was loath to admit that he actually liked the warm box. Pretty sure if he wasn’t this warm and comfy his wings might ache, what he could recall of his landing had been rough.

He wondered if they would feed him french fries, he loved those. He’d even eat them off a busy street, much to Pepper’s exasperation. His stomach whined at the mere thought of the golden fries. They were salty and really good, sometimes they got baked while on the road under the sun, which made them taste better, according to Rhodey. He cawed weakly to have some french fries would really hit the spot.

So hungry his stomach was probably eating itself he could hear it gurgling. To preoucpied with his own belly woes to see or hear humans, it wasn’t until there was a spidery hand reaching forward that he realized the humans were back. He tried kicking the hand away but it was ineffective and he was manhandled out of the warm box. They had pinned his wings together so he couldn’t even try to escape, so instead he played dead letting his head flop. It would have worked Tony thought if his belly didn’t make such a racket.

There was an amused chuckle above him, and a syringe was pressed against the side of his beak. The avian mush! Yinsen had spoken of the healing mush, Tony had thought it sounded disgusting. Now they were force feeding him it, he tried to cry for french fries but the open beak was a mistake. He found himself with a syringe down his gullet swallowing loads of the mush. At the end Tony was offered some water which he drank greedily, eager to wipe the faint taste of the mush away.

The hands were lifted and another set came to tug away the wrapping on his chest. Tony held very still, one foot clutching at the arm under him, the other was trapped in the hands holding his wings. Nervous about what was to come surely they wouldn’t eat him just after feeding him.  
“Looks good Clint, we’ll put another wrapping on and in a few days he should be good.”

Tony understood that one he was doing well, or he was healing, and that two he was going to be here much longer than he thought. He wasn’t happy with the second revelation, and decided to voice his opinions with a raspy ‘fuck u’ repeated twice for good measure. All it got him was another chuckle.  
“I love ravens, so dramatic and sassy. Should have seen him playing dead with his belly growling.”

Tony tried flapping his wings in a hissy fit but his chest twinged something awful and sharp. He became limp in the hold as the rubbed some paste over his chest and bandaged him back up. Then while he was too busy trying to block out the pain the bigger pair of hands burritoed him into a blanket, and he was tucked back into the warming box that had been cleaned up.

“Bruce did you see the size of his poop?”  
Tony had always been a bit of a stress pooper, it was just how his body worked. Anything that caused him undue stress had him empting his bowels lickity split. It had been really embarrassing at first however he came into an understanding with his body. That it was probably a survival trait as his poop seemed to put off a lot of predators. Also he was much lighter after such an evacuation. He felt smug satisfaction that someone had to clean up his mess.

The larger hands moved away, after the clear door of the box was sealed. Tony dosed it wasn’t too bad, his stomach was full and his chest hurt less the cream felt cool under the bandage. He was warm, if not trapped in a cloth and feeling incredibly dirty for not preening after a meal. Tony was very fastidious about his appearance. Whatever it was an okay hotel maybe 4 stars on the bird network, Tony thought as he dosed.  
-Outside-  
Bucky was out making a godaweful rucks as he cawed from the top of the lamp post it was only mid morning there was no need for this ruckus so early in the day. The fat pigeon down below was making some noise, in fact all the cheaping commandos were making a klaxon. Steve fiddled with his wings he really didn’t want to go down and break it up; but the local ducks looked like they were ready to start a fight again.

He glided down to the base of the lamp post. Landing with a delicate hop, he surveyed the scene. Oh it looked like dum-dum and Bucky had managed to get a nice bit of burger for lunch. So of course Schmidt the muscovy, duck with a lot of fleshy red stuff on his face was trying to take it. He was pretty much the top duck and the bully duck. He was hissing up a storm there were a few of his duck lackies but they watching from the edge of the lake. Zola was there that pale sickly looking ibis was off to the side of Schmidt, watching but as usually not really engaging.

Steve had heard what the ibis did to those ducklings last spring. Normally he’d ignored Zola as he seemed to be more of a little dog riding on the success of the big dog. He knew better now, Schmidt was a bully through and through if you beat him he’d lick his wounds for a bit and come back. Zola was a monster picking his fights and those poor ducklings. The mother had been so inconsolable that she’d left the park.

The cheaping commandos presented a unified front, and Steve only had to posture this time and Schmidt hissed and waddled off. Bucky hopped around on his one leg making cawing in victory. Steve looked at the hamburger patty. Natasha was watching the receding shape of Zola, she cocked her head at Steve.  
“They surrendered a bit to quick there.”

Steve bobbed his head, it had been suspicious. He couldn’t think of a reason why the patty seemed like a good prize. There was plenty of starch tossed by the visiting humans. Occasionally one would toss something more appetizing, Steve was fond of the two that always wore purple. They had rescued him in the middle of winter many years ago and he’d felt indebted to stay at the park. 

In fact many of the birds here were rescues. Bucky with his missing foot, Dum-dum had broken a wing. He could still fly but often complained about it being stiff during long flights. Natasha apparently had a leg issue when she was younger, but not anymore. She was a sleek looking crow that nested with Bucky. Mortia had a fantastic beak prosthetic, that he took the time to show off to anyone that so much as glanced at it.

Even Fury who rarely showed had been helped, Natasha was really the only one that approached Fury. Steve had met the red tail occasionally, but he’d wisely kept away as Fury didn’t seem to tolerate much in the rabble of other birds. Natasha could easily out maneuver the hawk, though Steve had seen her taking food to him. He didn’t mind that Fury only had one eye, and hadn’t really eaten anyone at the park, he’d been here much longer than Steve. So Steve would assume there would be stories if he did eat some of the local birds but there was none. Only horror stories about Zola and what he’d done.

Steve pecked at the patty once Dum-Dum and Bucky had their fill. He was due for the fly over patrol and really wanted to stretch his wings. He wished for a partner another raven maybe but that was unlikely right now. There hadn’t been any new rescues for a while, the last one had been a turtle that pretty much vanished into the lake with a fancy shell covering.

Occasionally Steve would see it out basking on a log or at the bank, but when he approached it. The turtle would scuttle back into the water, it was pretty fast. Mortia had claimed the turtle’s name was Happy and had a run in with a large bird dropping him, that’s why he was fleeing from Steve. It sounded too strange not to be real, and Mortia was a bit of a gossip, but Steve supposed most mockingbirds were.  
-  
The distraction had worked fairly well the stupid commandos were too busy eating their silly meat patty as Zola prepared his clever plan. There were rumors of a raven being rescued and if hydra had their own raven, they figured that could pit it up against Steve. Though there might have to be a bit of conversion work to get the raven to understand that he was needed in hydra.

The nature of the bird’s injury was unknown Schmidt hoped it was a winger injury it would make it so much easier to take the bird down if it was flightless. Zola had practiced the water torture with the ducklings earlier. It had been quite effective in getting the little birds to cooperate. In the end though non had survived they were all to weak. The raven would make a better test subject.

With the white raven out of the picture Schmidt felt like the rest of the lame birds would be easier to take down. He quacked athortative to the rest of his flock as they crowded around the building’s front door. Zola hadn’t been sure on when the other raven would be released, but had insistanted soon, and that they get to him before the cheaping comandos.

“Bruce that ugly red faced duck is back, did you feed it? It brought the posse”  
Schmidt wiggled his tail, trying to look inviting while also imagining plucking out this human’s eyes. Once his plans come into fruition, he’ll be lord over these pathetic humans. This one would go first, he did not like the one called Clint. Bruce he would keep a medic was always valuable.  
“I don’t feed the muscovies,”

“Well why is it here. Shoo!”  
There was a crackly caw from in side the building calling for french fries. It was not a human’s voice Schmidt wiggled even more extending his head. Excited to learn that the raven inside could actually speak. This would be perfect for his plans! He carefully waddled away as Clint shooed them with waving hands and exaggerated kicking motions. They would be back, Schmidt just had to get his claws on that Raven.


	2. Be still my heart

When Tony was finally well enough to be released he was given two french fries by Clint. Which solidified Clint, as Tony’s favorite human. The bandage was removed and there was some new down fluff growing on his chest Tony was very eager to fly, but loath to leave that snug warming box. At least it was still summer outside.

Tony fluttered over to a tree limb and looked over the place. There were a lot of ducks milling around and one duck had a big ugly red face. This duck was also twice the size of the other mallard ducks, Tony thought it was pretty ugly. He resumed preening now that the bandage was off he could finally get some of his feathers to lay flat.

He doesn’t notice at first that he isn’t alone on the branch. It isn’t until he sees a flash of white under his wing that he figures it out. There is an ibis with some creepy pale blue eyes staring at him. Tony adjusts his wings and fluffs out his feathers annoyed that his preening was interrupted. Waiting for the other to leave so he could resume making his feathers beautiful again, maybe go on a hunt for food. Fly a good long time, since he ached to be in the air again.

“Hello I’m Zola, welcome to the pond.”  
“I’m Tony, thank you.”  
Tony tried to be dismissive but feeling those eyes on his breast bother him. Was the ibis looking at his skin? The wound had healed nicely but it was still rather bald. He tried ruffling his feathers to hide the spot better.  
“Would you like to hang with our group? The other birds can be quite vicious of newcomers.”

Tony looked at the other ibis alarmed at that. Was there a flock clique? He’d been in a few and they were always very fickle, luckily he’d left before they had turned on him.  
“I’d like that, ugh which one is your group?”  
He couldn’t see any other ibis around which was odd, didn’t ibis have mated pairs.  
“I’m with the ducks,”  
“Oh, even the one with the red face?”

The ibis signed and readjusted his wings looking down at the ducks.   
“That would be Schmidt, he thinks of himself as the leader. With his size he might as well be. You’d be welcome, of course but try not to trigger his delicate sensibilities. We must present as dumb birds. It's not to hard.”  
Zola glided down to the ground and made his way to the ducks, Tony followed at a more sedated rate. The ducks were okay they all seemed to have a hive mind and they practically parted for Schmidt who had sized Tony up and then welcomed him to the flock.

It was okay, but it reminded him to much of Obie and how that flock had been run as well. There were startling similarities and tony found himself staying on the edges of the flock, trying to stay out of the hierarchy. He didn’t mind eating the last vestiges of cracked corn, he’d found quite a few areas that had plenty of bugs. That and Clint had set u a pizzle palace for him. Occasionally he’d visit and see what kind of puzzle waited for him. Little bits of food were the reward, sometimes it was a coveted french fry. Tony was very good at solving things for french fries. 

It was at the puzzle palace that Tony saw the white raven. His little heart fluttered against his breast as he watched the white bird swoop down and do a flip in mid air to snatch a bit of food of a wire. Tony was smitten on sight, the white raven had such startling blue eyes. Tony had hopped over hoping to introduce himself. The other had launched into the air, Tony followed thinking they were having a flight of skill. It was exhilarating to chase down another raven. 

The white raven was in shape and moved through the trees with precision that Tony didn’t have. Tony still managed to get a breast to the other bird offering a happy caw as he foloowed the other in a plummet. The white raven veered off suddenly, and then Tony was ambushed by a bunch of other bird. There was even a pigeon! They attacked him and he tried to backtrack as they chased him all while clawing and pecking at him. This must have been the birds Zola had warned him about.

His breast hurt, Tony hid under a tree on the ground near the water’s edge as he checked his chest for injury. There was no blood he was good but his breast deep within hurt. It hurt that the white raven wanted nothing to do with him, he sniffled to himself. Feeling like once more he didn’t belong anywhere. Tony was so caught up in his own misery he never noticed a pair of eyes watching him from the water.  
-  
Zola looked at Schmidt from his perch, watching the comandos chase Tony off.  
“Phase two commences.”  
There was a please noise that rumbled in Schmidt’s chest, he couldn’t have planned for a better reaction. The commandos were practically conditioning the Tony for him. Zola took off and landing near Tony. 

Zola did notice the water rippling but his eyes saw nothing more and ignored it, probably fish. He moved closer to Tony offering one of his wings around the Raven’s shaking form.  
“Tony, I saw everything. Are you okay?”  
Zola froze when Tony pushed his weight into Zola’s side. He wasn’t good at comfort and was trying his best to act like he was for the plan to work. Tony was muttering stuff while crying, Ravens did not have nice singing voices.

“Come Tony, we’re still pretty close to their territory.”  
They made an awkward pair as Zola used his wing to guide tony back to the safer side of hydra’s grounds. Out of the visual range from the commandos. It was important to be seen with tony but at the same time it was very important to make this into a learning opportunity for the black raven. To start the mind twisting early on.  
-  
Steve had been surprised at first seeing that hydra raven at the puzzle palace. He’d been very surprised at the rate the other had figured out some of the puzzles, it had always taken Steve some time to figure out the ones with the weighted rocks. This raven must have already known how to solve it. Shame it was with hydra, it couldn’t be trusted. 

Bucky had reported seeing it with Zola on a number of occasions. Being so far as to say they were friends and Zola seemed to genuinely enjoy time with the other raven. Bucky found it repulsive that someone could tolerate Zola for any amount of time, even Schmidt didn’t linger around Zola like the other raven did. Natasha had voiced that they could try and recruit the raven, but she’d been outvoted.

Dum-Dum had reported that the raven was constantly testing the boundaries of the commandos. Having spotted the raven in their territory several times eating things, and stealing sticks. So when the Raven gave chase to Steve, he lead it straight into an ambush. Trying to to think how effortlessly the other had flown, how close the other had been to pecking his eyes out. Pulling his feathers out or doing something equally heinous. 

After they chased the hydra raven off, they got to see Zola escorting the raven deeper into hydra’s territories. Steve took his flock back to the home tree to run down what they saw in the ambush and to better prepare for the next attack. He’d never had another bird be able to catch up with him in flight, if only the other raven hadn’t had ties to hydra. They could have been flight buddies.  
-  
The ducks of hydra were not that friendly, if he wasn't with Zola they would peck at his head and pull his feathers when they could. He spent a lot of his time in the trees where they were less likely to get at him. He surmised that was why Zola didn’t seem to hang with the ducks as much always on the outside of the flock. 

There were little sores all down tony’s back from the pecking, one of the ducks had tried to mount him at one point. That was the only time he saw Schmidt coming out and hissing at the other duck. Tony was grateful, but also he’d never seen that particular duck every again, and Schmidt hadn’t shown up for his lion’s share of the corn then next day. Tony didn’t think too hard about that, he didn’t want to.

He’d seen that stupid fat pigeon watching him as he pried open some bark with a stick to get to the grubs. The pigeon had tried to dissuade him from the tree with what could have been threatening noises. Tony didn’t fall for the game of chicken and thus the pigeon was watching him from another tree making deep and disturbing crooning noises at him. Tony ignored it and ate the grubs, the food Hydra got was okay but not really what Tony liked so he was constantly foraging for tidbits of food.

The deep crooning noise brought over the stupid crow, the one that was missing a foot. At least Tony had finished his meal tossing the stick he moved out to the branch to distance himself from those two birds. He wanted to preen, though he felt it unwise to really go at it as he cleaned his wings. Least they try something while his head was tucked away.

Tony decided to fly back to the rehab house, maybe Clint had some snacks. He could hide in one of the puzzle palace’s many roofed boxes and preen. He took off, fluttering lowe under the branches of the trees as he headed for the the puzzle palace. Tony did hear the other two take off after him, but a pigeon that fat was way to slow and soon it was only the crow giving pursuit.

Tony glided to the first platform of the puzzle palace and landed, he did not make room for the crow. Mouth open he cawed a “fuck U” at the crow when it tried to land on him. Lunging forward to peck at the body, the crow hit him with the downward wing stroke. Tony snapped his beak down on one of the legs, the crow had a beak full of feathers and they fought.

There was a rush of white and suddenly Tony was falling again. The perch under his feet gone! A tingly feeling of feathers pulled from their sheaths laced up his wing. He saw that white raven, looking down at him as he crashed into the ground. Vision was fuzzy, he did hear a very loud noise from Clint.  
“What the Fuck Steve!”

Tony was being lifted up by Clint no doubt, cradled in the hands as finger probed his body. Brushing along his sores on his back, he could feel that he was still bleeding on a few of them. Clint lifted Tony up to Steve, Tony tried to wiggle away from the white raven, eyes closed.   
“He’s afraid of you, look at this. Steve, I don’t understand. Why would you bully him?”

Tony was scared he tried to get away from the white raven, but Clint’s firm hold kept him still. There was a sad croak, and Clint tutted. Taking Tony with him into the house. Tony was tended to gently, the cooling slave was dabbed onto his sores and he was wrapped up, and placed in the warming box. Tony decided he wasn’t going to leave, he could live in the house just fine.

His feathers were falling out, Bruce was prodding Tony and inspecting the feathers.  
“I don’t think he’s getting the right foods, You said he hangs with the ducks?”  
“Well if Steve is picking on him like that I kinda understand why he hangs with the ducks.”  
“Steve is picking on him? I would have thought they’d be as thick as thieves.”   
Bruce sounded shocked at the duck thing, maybe ravens weren’t really duck compatible as Schmidt had lead him to believe. 

Bruce pulled at a few feathers fingers running down Tony’s sides they were clumsy but it felt good. His skin had been so itchy as of late.  
“I think he’s molting, it could be due to stress. We should keep him for observation.”  
Tony leaned into the hand that was rubbing his side, Bruce chuckle rubbing a finger nail around the cheek of the raven.  
“Affectionate, come on let's get you to a nice warm box.”  
There was a soft croak ‘french fry?’ which had Clint cackling.  
“I swear sometimes I feel like he’s a human.”  
-  
Steve watched as Clint hauled the hydra raven away. The black menace looked less scary, in clint’s hands shivering and trying to hide from Steve. When he’d knocked the other off the perch he’d felt the thin frame under the feathers. He felt though it was his right to protect Bucky as the hydra Raven was still much bigger than the crow.

Bucky offered a shrug, panting a bit after the chase and subsequent fight. Not offering much in the way of thanks or any other acknowledgement to what had occured. Natasha however arriving last to the scene had called them both stupid. Bucky for attacking a bird at least twice his size, and Steve for kicking the other bird off the perch.

“He was only attacking to defend himself, you would do the same.”  
Her tail feathers bobbed as she lectured them from the electric wire above. Natasha had excellent balance Steve was envious of it but right now he was more focused on the fear he’d seen in the other raven. He rested his head on his chest thinking. The other raven hadn’t done much to the chirping comandos, in fact besides eating in their territory, food that he’d scrounge up himself. Nothing really big had happened.

“Well if he isn’t bad, how do we fix this?”  
Bucky looked at Steve with one eye squinting.  
“Stevie he’s hydra,”  
“Is he though?”  
Natasha jumped down landing on top of Steve’s back before fluttering in between them.  
“He’s not been seen in any of the hydra raids, his only crime is hanging around with Zola.”  
Bucky shivered, Steve managed to repress a shiver but he still felt cold at the idea of spending time with Zola.

“How does he eat with his beak curved like that?”  
“Bucky,”  
Steve chastised not wanting to think about how the ibis ate. Not really wanting to think about the other bird at all.  
“I’ll take over, you two go call off your dumb attacks on him. Maybe you can try to apologize if he’s up for it.”  
“Nat how are you getting in there?”  
Nat cocked her head looking slyly at them.  
“Clint likes me.”  
With that she flew to the window sill and tapped at the glass till Clint opened the door for her.  
-  
Tony met Natasha about two days into his stay in resort where he got to live in the warm box. Meals were several times a day, Bruce was his bath attendant, Clint was there to play with him, he got to watch the fancy picture box too. He was still incredibly itchy and found himself to be sleeping more than he intended to. His happy moments were often soured by the itch, and once or twice he’d freaked out thinking he was going to fall again. He spent an hour perched on the top cabinet after one freak out.

“He should be socialized more with the others, we don’t want another Zola.”  
Bruce muttered looking at Tony hiding in the corner after some loud machine gun fire on the tv had rattled the bird. The bird had been hit by a firework Bruce felt that was a reasonable fear. He’d been scared of the embers that came of the sparklers as a kid, heck who was he kidding he was still afraid of them.

“Zola is so creepy, why did that lady keep him in the first place?”  
“Misguided, she thought she was doing him a kindness, and now we have a bird that thinks he’s human.”  
Bruce shrugged attention turning to the window to see Natasha again. Rubbing his chin he moved over to open the window, letting the crow in with her plastic cap.  
“Maybe Natasha can help, she’s much smarter than the boys.”  
Clint nodded and they carefully sat down, and watched Natasha hope around with her cap.

She seemed to be playing with it, pausing to preened some chest feathers. It took about an hour before Tony edged out of his nook, even then he didn’t engage just watching warily at the other bird. Much to Clint’s surprise Tony hopped into his incubator box and closed his door, and watched from there. Natasha didn’t seem interested in pressing the other bird and offered Clint the cap. He accepted it and placed it in his collection.

“Well that could have gone better,”  
Bruce covered his eyes with his hand, Clint poked him.  
“Could have been worse too, he did come down, and he is watching. I’m counting that as a win.”  
“I suppose we must.”

The next time Tony met Natasha both humans were busy, Natasha hopped over to the bathing dish where Tony was trying to get all the dirt off. He jumped flapping water everywhere as he backtracked out of the dish. Breast heaving as he eyed Natasha suspiciously. It was not the footless crow, but Tony still felt threatened. He hunched up on himself feathers bristling. Natasha merely hopped in the water and splashed Tony with water.

He didn’t take off, it had taken him by surprise Pepper would do something similar to Tony. the crow turned to him as she groomed her pinions.  
“I’m Natasha, preen my back?”  
Tony adjusted his wings hesitantly as he slowly walked over to the crow.  
“I’ll do yours.”  
She offered as he came closer, it would be a fair trade. The idea was appealing since his back feathers were always a bit of an issue.

“I’m Tony,”  
He offered and started to groom the other, dragging his beak into her uropygial gland and carefully preening the feathers. He was very meticulous about it, he didn’t realize just how much till he noticed her watching him. He backed away with an apology, but she merely hopped around behind him and started preening him. He flinched a few times when her beak grazed the healing wounds on his back. Natasha mentioned nothing, to which Tony was thankful.

“Do you know anything of hydra?”  
Tony jerked from his fugue of enjoying being groomed.  
“Schmidt goes on about it, but i’m not really sure. Is it a cult?”  
Natasha plucked out a ratty feather that had been stuck between Tony’s back and wing.  
“No, I’ve seen you with Zola… are you friends?”  
“I’m not sure he doesn’t hurt me like the ducks, but he’s also really unsettling; but he’s all I have the other birds don’t like me.”  
Natasha resumed her preening saying nothing more and for a while Tony thought he’d said something wrong.

“I’m sorry for that… we were very hostile to you at first, I can see why you went to Zola. When you get out you’ll be welcome in my cypress tree. Don’t be a stranger.”  
“Oh, uh thank you?”  
Tony hazarded quietly as Natasha finished his back, she merely winked and flew up and out the window. Tony wanted to follow at first but decided he wanted a bit more time, get the sores on his back to heal and get over the molt. Maybe pander for some more french fries but he sensed that might not happen anytime soon.


	3. nevermore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bet you were waiting for this chapter title

It had been a week and a half after Natasha’s last visit and preen. Tony had kept up on his preening and bathing game as his molting slowed down. His sores were just itchy patches of new skin and his feathers were sleek glossy and black as they should be. He’d picked up a few more words too, mostly curse words, but bruce had taught him ‘nevermore’ which hadn’t made much sense but he was rewarded with french fries for that so Tony learned it.

He spent a lot more time with Clint at the puzzle area now. He’d outsmarted most of the puzzles now, however when he thought he saw any other bird he was quick to fly to Clint’s shoulder and tuck into the man’s neck. Clint was nice about it, never tried to get Tony to socialize with the others.

So Tony was confused when Clint let him out of the carry case in a strange area. He looked at the man and offered a sad caw, realizing that he was to stay outside. Clint was showing him a nice birdhouse affixed to the gazebo, raven sized. Telling him it was far away from Steve, and Natasha was close bye. Tony hopped up on the rails and looked out over the lake. He let Clint stroke his back as he surveyed his new home. Natasha was close by so maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.

“Nevermore!”  
Tony croaked at Clint, he could do this.  
“Yup, Tony nevermore.”  
Clint carefully left occasionally peering behind him making sure Tony wasn’t following. Tony was still looking at the water, there was something strange in it, some oblong shape swimming around in the murk of the lake.

It had been a few days now and Tony had discovered a truly wondrous thing. Only after observing a human reaching up, and picking things out of the tree and eating. A mulberry tree! Needless to say Tony prioritized eating the sun sweetened berries before scavenging the park’s trash cans for grubs It made his shits a lurid shade of red, and deep in his breast he found that mulberries were out pacing his love for french fries. The berries had a myriad of flavors most were good. Though he wasn’t going to try the greenish white berries again.

So sold on the berries he ended up taking a branch over to Natasha’s tree as a branch warming gift. Natasha seemed very pleased with the gift, citing that the squirrels would attack or generally make a ruckus; making it hard for her to really get her fill. Tony noted with pride that Nat had eaten all the berries he brought, he puffed his chest up while she cleaned her beak off on her perch. He tried preening he while Nat was still working on her beak but pulled back flustered by a movement out of his eye. He craned his head looking at the foliage.

“It's Mortia, he’s a gossip we can preen at your place, he only leaves the territory if Steve is accompanying him.”  
Tony bobbed his head in agreement and took to wing heading for the gazebo. He was going to show Nat his trinket stash. Nat inspected his home, she seemed satisfied with it. Hopping around the perimeter doing her own version of a check. Flicking sticks out of her way with a bit of violence that was entirely unnecessary or so Tony thought. He suspected it might have to do with her peers spying on her, so wisely he kept his beak shut.

“It's closer to Nick the one eyed hawk but you don’t have to worry about him. If you’re smart.”  
Tony bobbed there was no way he was going to go up against a hawk, not when any other flitting bird shape made him anxious.   
“For now stay away from the ducks and Zola, they aren’t a good association. Not for the cheeping comandos. Oh so that's where you’ve been.”

Natasha had stopped on a cypress knee at the bank of the pond. She was peering into the water at the oblong shape just under the surface. Tony fluttered up on a higher perch the gazebo railing as he watched the shape rise to the surface. It was a turtle with a very sharp beak, and clever eyes. One armoured clawed paw outstretched on the knee that Natasha was sitting on. Tony fearing for his new friend dove in and dropped a mulberry on the turtle.

The splash and squawk from Natasha as well as the Turtle snapping up the berry created a lot of water disturbances and thus the attention of the rest of the pond’s citizens.   
“Mmmm berries I wish I could get more, I’m Happy. I’ve been watching you raven boy for a while.”

“Tony, Happy is a snapping turtle, the chirping commandos have failed to recruit him.”  
Nat picked at some of her wing feathers, fixing the ruffled ones from the unwelcome wet surprise.  
“Darn right, they only want me to bite the ducks. I can do that without any entangling alliances; and what do I get? Nothing.”  
The turtle makes a gesture that could be interpreted as a shrug and the head lowers till it's just a snout and eyes above water. Tony clicked his beak he could see the appeal of having eyes in the water, it was a sound strategy. 

“Well, I can get you the berries you want, uh if you could keep this place duck free?”  
Tony hazard, the gold rimmed eyes blinked and the head was raised so the moth was above water.  
“Sure, sounds like a deal. Your name big guy?”  
“Ah Tony.”  
“Nat I like this one, the white one is a pain. The black one here has some sense.”

“Not everyone thinks with their belly Happy.”  
Natasha added smartly but the turtle didn’t seem to care. Happy hefted himself onto the cement dike and spread out his limbs like an awkward star. He turned his head back towards them Tony was slightly concerned if that was normal for a turtle. He could see the 3d printed shell that Clint had raved about, it looked really good. It was almost indistinguishable underwater, out though the way UV rays reacted with it made it look fake.

“I saw them pick on Tony just for being associated with Zola, excuse me if I don’t associate with bullies.”  
Natasha had nothing to say to that, she hopped back to Tony’s stash of plastic bits. Happy winked at Tony as he rested his head on the cement in front. Tony followed Natasha proudly showing off the caps and lids he’d accumulated in such a short time, his fave color was red. Though he’d found some nice caps that were blue too.

“Ah, Steve really likes the five point stars and blue. His whole nest is full of blue and stars.”  
Natasha carefully picked some of the blue things out. The shiny blue bear bottle cap, a bit of a blue rag, and a blue plastic cap with a white star on it. Tony looked at them confused, sure he’d like to give them to Steve, but he’d probably be pecked to death before he could give the items.

“Would you give them to him? I like him lots but I also like being alive.”  
He fidgeted with his wing feathers, ignoring happy’s chuckling at the alive part. Natasha looked over the items and carefully arranged them.  
“I can drop the first two, but you must deliver the third. I can do it and suggest he’s being courted by you.”  
Tony perked up a bit but then deflated.  
“I don’t think he likes me that way.”

There was a splash and then Happy was crawling up the side of the Gazebo pulling his body with him with a few powerful strokes of his claws.  
“That bird is so smitten with you, he stares at you from afar. Maybe he thinks it's to be vigilant, but i’d bet my new shell he’s got it bad for you.”  
Natasha looked at Happy shrewdly as if she’d just noticed that Happy had that cunning intellect, maybe she just had the revelation. The puddle under Happy expanded and Nat flicked the blue fabric away so it wouldn’t get wet. 

“Happy has noticed it too then, perhaps not everyone at the pond is dull witted. Steve craves to be matched, we’re all smaller birds we can’t outfly, sometimes we can’t outmaneuver, and certainly not out smart. He’s been looking for a mate for a long time. That day you chased him, and we attacked.”  
Natasha looked guilty as she pecked at the fabric under her feet.  
“He was euphoric afterwards. He told me you beat him at the puzzles. He was excited but also dismayed that you were hydra. He thought it was a trap.”

“Oh, okay but I’m not Hydra. So you do the two gifts, and maybe a mulberry so he knows where to find me for the third?”  
Tony puffed himself up hoping Natasha would say yes. The ground beneath his claws was wet only because Happy was looming behind him, it was disconcerting but not scary.  
“I’ll be at the tree to, Tony can’t trust them cheepos to stay put.”  
Natasha nodded.  
“A sound plan, I will do just that Tony. after the second trinket I’ll leave him a mulberry and you and Happy will meet him.”  
-  
The first gift the shiny blue metal bottle cap was inspected by all the commandos after Steve announced that it had shown up in his nest. He wanted to know who had been so thoughtful. It was nice, shiney, and blue. No one had come forward though they all checked it out, it wasn’t a bent bottle cap and therefore a rare oddity. It was Bucky who had suggested that Steve might have a suiter, with Natasha chiming in on that.

Steve looked at the cap in his nest he’d carefully arranged the sticks around the cap. He tapped on it with his beak satisfied with how it looked in his nest and enjoying the sound of his beak against the metal. It was a thoughtful gift, he was uncertain who it was though. He hated to think that it was some duck from hydra, or Zola himself. Though bucky had pointed out Zola had a hard time carrying anything in his beak, and they would have noticed the ibis if he’d come into the territory.

The gift had appeared after their morning flight Natasha had been the rabbit of the flight so maybe she’d have time. Though she hadn’t piped up when he asked, just looked curious as to why he called them all over to his nest. Steve really didn’t share his nest with anyone it was a private thing. Buck had mentioned that Natatash had been out and about.

She had been less active within the group as of late and Steve let Bucky know it was bothering him. Buck had warbled a laugh at him and assured him she did that often. She apparently had many friends within the park, and she spent time with them accordingly. Buck did say she’d been spending time with the humans, mostly because she was sweet on Clint. Steve wondered if she’d seen the black raven, was he still alive?

Hydra had been quite for the most part, just the other day some big red faced vulture by the name of Wade had teamed up with Bucky to cause a ruckus with the ducks for no other reason. Bucky seemed to like Wade who apparently hobbled when he walked and was a big awkward bird. They got into mischief as long as Steve didn’t have to clean it up he was able to turn his beak at it.

The next gift was placed in his nest when he and buck had been trying the puzzles again. Natasha had come buy to watch the proceedings. Bucky was helping solve the rock things to get the tasty bits of liver clint had set up. It took them a while though, and Steve didn’t like remembering how well the hydra raven had solved them.

Satiated with bits of liver that he’d shared with buck and Natasha, he’d come back to his nest to find a soft bit of blue linen. Placed carefully in the bottom of his nest, he picked at the threads a bit. Surveying his nest and finding it more likeable. He resisted calling the rest of the commandos though. Anyone he’d been suspicious of was certainly not giving him these trinkets. He’d never seen cloth in the bins at the park, they knew he liked blue which he wanted to blame one of his friends for that leak.

Anyways now he waited for the third gift, hoping to catch whom ever was gifting these fine baubles to him. Dum-dum needed him for something though and he was loath to leave his nest feeling that it was today that the third gift would appear, and he’d miss out on his chance to see his suiter. Though he did suspect the reason to why his gifter was remaining anonymous. If it was the hydra raven he could understand why he wasn’t coming forward, he’d be picked at, beaten probably. Steve still had dreams about seeing that bird falling off the perch, the abject fear in the other’s eyes as he fell.

Steve had no doubt, he’d put that fear there. On the other wing he wasn’t sure why the black raven would court him. When he’d done nothing but bully the other, bullied him right back into rehab. Dum-dum had gotten stuck in one of those fruit nettings, again. Steve sighed as he worked through the plastic mesh hoping it wasn’t super tangled otherwise Dum-dum would have to walk back up to the rehab house. They’d flown him once and that had been a mistake, Dum-dum was apparently afraid of heights, go figure. He’d thrashed about and strained everyone’s wings.

Thankfully Steve got the netting off Dum-dum just in time for the cracked corn. Steve left for his nest uninterested in the cracked corn. He yearned for companionship, he was very envious of Bucky and Natasha even if they weren’t a super lovey dovey couple. Natasha still had her own tree. Steve still wanted someone at his level. He landed in his nest feeling sad at the lack of extra blue, though he spied a mulberry next to the metal cap. Ah it was an invitation!


	4. Mulberries of happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> both ravens finally get what they want, companionship

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> chapter 5 is like a freebie, I thought it would be cool to have some iron dad in this story, but for some its not their tea so this is my warning

Tony had ridden out to the mulberry tree on the back of Happy. As was requested by Happy who was taking the role of an escort very seriously. Natasha had let them know earlier in the day that she was going to drop the mulberry with the cryptic message of:

“Someone trashed a fruit net with fruit still inside, it will be a good distraction for steve. He can’t resist helping his friends.”  
She had sounded a bit terse about that and Happy guessed it probably happened more than once.  
“That type of ire is usually reserved for those people that make the same mistake over and over and never learn from it.”  
Tony merely nodded in an uncomprehending way, he couldn’t grasp not learning from mistakes. Though he was a bit hopped up on the what ifs of the day and decided not to ponder that at all and merely agree. The conversation took a turn and blissfully Tony didn’t have to contribute much to Happy and Natasha’s plans.

So here Tony was riding the very slow happy to the tree, he’d tried tempting Happy with berries that he could fetch but the Turtle had been adamant that tony ride him to the tree.  
“They’ll try to dive bomb you, they won’t even see me till it's to late.”  
Happy clicked his heavy beak, Tony eyed it. He’d hate to see what it could do to a bird. Happy had shared his fish this morning with Tony. That had been unexpected, tony had been so moved that he’d offered some of the bread that a human had vindictively lobbed at him. Happy had declined stating he was on a low carb diet.

Turtles were strange was all Tony could come up with that statement. Happy boasted that he was much older, he also had some interesting knowledge and looked nothing like the other turtles in the lake. All in all Tony quite liked Happy, all his oddities really made the Turtle a good friend in the end.

“We are here at the tree, finally. Sorry about that Tony I tend to forget I’m not invincible on land.”  
Happy lets his shell rest on the ground that is littered with mulberries, in his claws there are a few speared and stuck. Happy doesn’t seem to mind as he bites them off. Tony watches as Hap eats some berries off the ground.

“I can get you some fresh ones.”  
The turtle cranes his head up to look Tony in the eyes.  
“No tony, we stick to the plan. Plus I need some dirt.”  
The i’ve eaten worse was unsaid but Tony had come to understand some of the Turtle’s tells. He had seen Happy eating a waterlogged lizard the other day, no doubt there were some worse things than dirt. 

There was a soft breeze and Tony flutter his wings thinking to much on seeing Steve again. Unsure of what to say, one of the branches sagged and Tony peered up the bird shape was obscured by the leaves. There was a movement to his left and Tony dodged down and back greyish body swooped down. There was a cry, feathers, and the dive bombing bird fluttered along the ground hopping away.

Happy looked inordinately pleased with himself sporting a maw full of tail feathers, like a strange sort of mustache. The mocking bird now had a very definite wedge in its tail. It took awkwardly to the sky no doubt it’s tail stinging from the removal of the feathers. The sagging branch moved and the large white raven swooped down landing nimbly in front of Happy and Tony. Happy was trying to remove the feathers from his mouth with his claws, he seemed to be having some difficulty with it.

“Sorry about that, I didn’t know Mortia was following me.”  
The white raven had such pretty blue eyes, Tony almost didn’t hear the apology for the dive bombing mockingbird. Happy however lurched forward his mouth open ready to bite as he missed Steve with a slow lunge. Tony hopped back on top of Happy, and the turtle seemed to calm down some, going back to removing the feathers from his maw.

“I’m also sorry that I bullied you, it was wrong of me to assume you were with Hydra and then punish you for the crimes of others. Sorry for being a bully.”  
Steve seemed to deflate his body and look smaller than normal, Happy was making some guffaw nosies, but it was rather quiet for the turtle. Tony picked up the blue cap that he’d stored on the groove between the new and old shell. He hopped off of Happy and placed it in front of Steve as he hopped back.  
“I got you blue.”

Later Tony would kick himself for such a simple statement. He’d been flustered at all the apologies, he had the biggest bird crush on Steve so it really didn’t help. His big be my nest mate speech went out the to the wind as soon as Steve had wilted on himself. Steve was staring at the cap, and Tony was berating himself over it maybe it hadn’t been good enough. He should have given steve his best grub poker stick or something.

“I-I, it's for me? Thank you. I really like stars.”  
Steve put his claw on the cap, pulling it closer as if he was afraid Tony would take back the gift.  
“I’ve been so terrible to you, yet you gift me all my favorite things.”  
Steve ducked his head under his wing,  
“Why?”

“Cause he’s smitten!”   
Happy shouted probably done with the whole dacinging around the point. Tony bobbed his head, thinking it best to get the show on the road before his escort decided to help more.   
“Yes I um like you very much, you are very cute and the time we flew together was exhilarating.”  
Steve had moved closer cap still held tight in his claw.

“Well if you want to come by my nest, after we eat some of these berries?”  
“Heck yes!”  
Tony hopped over to Steve, he saw Happy turn and leave. Mentally marking it down to drop his turtle friend a bit more mulberries next time he saw him. He and Steve flew into the tree to feast upon the berries that grew there.

Nearing noon time Steve left to drop the cap at his nest and let Nat and Buck know about his visitor so they could keep the rest of the commandos in line. He returned to Tony and then they flew together at a leisurely pace back to Steve’s blue encrusted nest. Tony managed to flip over Steve in mid flight he was so excited. Turns out Steve also had a love for fancy flying, he like mulberries, and wanted to preen after a meal. Though they decided the preening should happen at Steve’s nest to cement the fact that Tony was not with Hydra.

Tony approved of the nest the blue cloth had made a nice floor it was a better location than Tony’s nest which was just a little flat platform under the gazebo awning. Steve had picked a nice tree overlooking the pond. Above the nest was some elaborately constructed thing that probably helped keep the sun out and water out as well. Tony eyed it, mind whirring at the possibilities of improving it.  
-  
Natasha was nearby with bucky watching Steve and Tony preen. The playful attitude of Tony rubbing off on to Steve, it was nice to see Steve enjoying himself. Natasha turned her attention to the ducks on the edge of the pond. They were gathering for something no doubt another ‘raid’. Zola was off to the side standing rather close to a few humans.

There was an oblong disturbance in the lake as Happy appeared, Natasha clicked her beak happily. The plan was coming together well. Had she conspired with Zola? Yes, she had noticed that after Tony was removed from the ducks Zola received a lot of the pecking. She had reached out to Zola and this plot was now all most ready to move forward.

“Buck, I’m going to get big red. Bait Schmidt.”  
Bucky puffed up his chest and nodded.  
“He ain’t gonna know what hit him.”  
Natasha took to the air, Happy was already corralling any stray ducks onto the ground. As they seeked to get away from the thing nipping at them. Natasha took off for the massive live oak on the edge of the pond’s land, flying swiftly. She landed on one gnarled branch with her nimble claws she moved closer without much sound.

The large reddish brown body of the hawk moved.  
“What are you doing here, Natasha?”  
The one golden eye focused on the crow, Fury moved his body to face the crow, eye never breaking any contact. Natasha wasn’t really a pest, but her visits were rare and Fury was always suspicious.  
“Just wondering if you’d like some duck?”

There was no verbal response from Fury but the way the talons tightened, and the shift in the bird’s stance was enough of a tell for Nat as he leapt from the branch plummeting down and sharply turning for the gazebo. She could feel the gust of air as Fury took to the skies flying high over the trees towards the pond with a single minded intensity. She only hoped Buck was smart enough to move out of the way.

Bucky had indeaded baited and harassed red skull out in the open field by the pond. The rest of the ducks were to busy feeding on the cracked corn that was scattered around the pond’s edge by Dum-dum. With Zola out of the way for now, Schmidt was reacting on his rage alone as bucky darted around the larger duck to tug on the tail feathers and then hop further and further from the pond’s edge. 

Buck decided when mortia stopped his chatter that it was probably best to hightail it out of the field. He didn’t want to become collateral. Schmidt hiss in triumphant when Bucky left, it was short lived. The next moment there was the heavy body of a red tailed hawk on top of the muscovy. A gristly crunch Fury’s beak stained red, it was over pretty quick. 

Clint off next to the swing set, eyes wide.  
“Holy shit!”  
He pointed at Fury, gesticulating wildly to Bruce whom had been reading a magazine at the time what had happened. Bruce didn’t look pleased about the duck, he went back to his reading.  
“Maybe you should call Sam tell him the hawk is doing fine, you know he likes writing about birds.”  
-  
Further off to the side a set of love ravens were too busy cuddling and preening each other to notice the carnage taking place. Steve had tucked Tony under his wing and they cuddled into each other looking very much like a double headed raven. Their beaks touched and the Tony was trying to fit his beak over Steve’s in play.

Steve cackled in response as he tried the same earlier catching Tony by surprise. He pulled Tony closer with his wing and buried his head into tony’s back feathers. Happy to have an equal finally. Tony was happy too, he already had a few plans to make the top of the nest nicer, plans to bring some red into the nest as red was the best color. 

Plans to out fly Steve the next day, plans to spend the rest of his life with Steve if he could. He was so happy as he tucked his head under the wing Steve had on him.


	5. Eulalie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finds a nice smooth round child under his bum, Steve becomes overprotective mom

“Sitting in a tree k-i-s-s-i-n-g, first comes love, then marriage, then a baby...A BABY!”  
Clint jumped up from the chair, bruce was ignoring him not quite awake from last night.  
“I gotta get them a baby!”  
“Sure,”  
Bruce placated as he waited for the coffee to percolate, indulging Clint in whatever he wanted to pursue. As long as he’d get out of Bruce’s hair.

Clint was off pursuing something he’d seen the other night on his computer, he was going to get a baby for Steve and Tony, now that the ravens had made up. There were an item and the people that visited the pond had elevated the bird pair to a thing. Of course most of them erroneously presumened it was a hetrosexual pair.

He was super excited about this, if it worked of course. Tony would probably take care of the egg, he’d seen the black raven sitting on a rock. Tony had been pretty territorial over the rock too, maybe Tony had been broody, clint wasn’t actually to sure on why he’d been rock sitting. He didn’t really care he’d seen the gay penguins raising orphaned eggs and he wanted his ravens to get that chance too. 

The eggs was of a western raven orphaned by the ones at the local zoo, Clint had obtained one through a friend. Saying he had a pair of ravens that had been trying, and omitting the genders because people were still oddly concerned about that. Sneaking the egg under Tony had been ridiculously easy, the mulberry tree had fruited again and Clint just waited till the silly bird had come back from gorging himself on the berries.

One hand shifting the dozing Tony, up as he placed the egg under Tony’s bum and let the bird settle over the egg. Clint chuckled at the way tony’s head flopped to the side as the bird shifted in his sunbeam sleep. Best to leave though, Steve was most likely in the area and Clint knew the other was more of a strike first chirp later sort of bird.  
-  
Steve was coming back from his morning of exercising with the commandos, he was happy to come home to Tony, knowing there would most likely be some choice mulberries waiting for him. Even though Tony would be dismissive about them trying to implicate that he’d not done any exercise. Steve knew the way Tony got mulberries could be considered an exercise of sorts. Plus Tony wasn’t as large as he was, Tony was more swift and agile than strong, he didn’t need to exercise as much he could outwit his opponents rather than just outfly them.

Sure enough there was a three very pretty dark red berries waiting for him in the nest. Tony was clean but dozing off in the nest head hanging at an awkward angle. His body looked shifted as if he wasn’t lying flat against the nest. Steve made quick work of the berries and cleaned his beak on the side of the nest.

He turned to Tony and moved to lay down next to him for some preening but stopped, there was something under Tony. Steve pushed his head against Tony to see if he could figure out what it was fearing it was a structural thing gone wrong with the nest. No it was white, and curved. Steve pulled back and pecked at Tony’s wing.

“Tony where’d you get an egg?”  
Tony cracked one eye and muttered.  
“My love for you has manifested into an egg,”  
Sweet but that wasn’t how eggs worked Steve was pretty sure one needed to be female to lay and egg. He looked back over the nest thinking, the egg was to big to be Natasha’s not that she would give anyone her eggs. He did see Clint, on his way back to the nest. Opting to blame the human for the mysterious egg.

He settled down next to Tony to cover the other part of the egg with his feathers. The idea of an egg was exciting, they would get to raise a baby together! It only had been a year since Tony moved in. Moved in and completely rebuilt the nest. Tony was always building, he built all the commando's nests now and was doing work for other birds in the area.

With schmidt gone, Zola seemed to have left the area and the pond was pretty peaceful the duck population had a boom. Steve had seen a bunch of ducklings floating on the water’s surface making soft yellow clouse around their mum. He turned his head towards the egg soon he’d be a parent and he was giddy. Teaching the little bird to forage and fly oh it was exciting at the idea of having his own tiny fuzz ball like the ducks.

Tony was quite confused when he woke up, Steve was beaming at him and preening his head which he held no objections too. It felt really good but something deep down was telling him this was different. He got up and stretched out his wings then his legs when he made the discovery of a soft smooth child right under his bum.

He adjusted his wings a bit unsettled, had he laid that? Tony certainly thought he would remember laying an egg. He’d gone off for some mulberries and then of course taken a nap, eating was hard work. Between aerial games and feeding Happy down below it did take a lot of stamina to get enough for him, happy and a few for Steve.

He squinted his eyes at the egg trying to look at it and see if there were any answers. Steve’s good mood seemed to be related to this, had Steve laid it? He moved to the side of the nest to poop, and watched Steve settle on top of the egg carefully. Seemed a bit small, the egg under Steve’s large form. Tony stretched his wings out more fully, well they wouldn’t be doing the puzzles together any time soon with the egg.

“I guess I should peck clint for this?”  
Tony queried since that was the only creature he could think of doing something like this.  
“We can always teach the chick to poop on him.”  
“See this is why I love you!”  
Tony cawed happily as he fixed some of the sticks in the nest.  
-  
The egg eventually hatched in no time it seemed. Tony managed to adapt fairly well to the extra body in the nest. Surprisingly Steve needed some adjustment to his routine but not too much, now his exercise was much less and ended with him bringing brekkie back to the small raven, who by that time would be pestering Tony up the nest wall.

Peter was a bright eyed intelligent chick. With an unquenchable desire to learn. Though right now he was stuck to the nest, and Steve wanted one parent to be in the nest while he was there safety. Tony didn’t mind that most days but every once in a while he had a burning desire to just get away.

Natasha helped immensely, so did Bucky. Tony suspected it was a trial run for them. He didn’t doubt Natasha’s skills at all, though his doubt on Bucky might be entirely due to their rocky start, while the crow had apologized and relented in the earlier treatment he still sort of followed past sediments. Usually the one in thinking tony was out to hurt Steve. So in turn Tony thought ill of Bucky in most cases, it was petty but this was Tony.

There was a reporter, Sam that came out one day and took pictures of them tending to peter and spending time in the nest. Tony felt it a bit invasive, not wanting someone to capture the exact moment he barfed food into his son’s mouth. He’d tried to chase the other away, but then Clint had bribed him with french fries.

The reporter stayed for about a week or so gathering pictures and writing loads, Steve spent some time with the reporter. Trying to gather intel he said but Tony could see him from the nest giving this Sam goo-goo eyes as he took picture after picture of Steve. Surprisingly it was the picture of steve puffed up and Tony in the background glaring with his wing smothering peter that made it into the local newspaper and not even a few days later the pond received two new residents.

Pepper and Rhodey, Tony was elated to meet up with his old friends whom had missed him. Mourned for him and then saw him in a nest with a chick, and decided to investigate going by the strange art piece that appeared in the background of the image that was in the newspaper. They picked on him and preened on him. The Steve and Pepper spent a good hour picking at the nest with peter under foot, while Tony and Rhodey went out to the mulberry tree to catch up. 

They had come to the conclusion that the black raven in the nest was Tony only by the articles mentioning that the black one was easily bribed by french fries and had a very foul mouth. Rhodey hopped over to the next branch as he informed tony of this. Plucking a berry right out of Tony’s beak.  
“No other raven would demand a french fry by name, and when not given one curse out the human. It had to be you.”  
“I should have tried to find you.”  
Rhodey looked up from his beak cleaning.

“It's not too far from our old home, but from what the article say you got badly injured and then found a home. I’m really happy Tones that you found a place you fit in. I hope there is room for Pep and I.”  
“Of course there is room! We can do a puzzle challenge race! Pepper and I, you and Steve!”  
Rhodey squaked with false indignation, Tony was implying he was the lesser in the clever of his partnership. Which was fine cause he was, Pepper was brilliant she’d even out clever Tony sometimes. Reaching out he gave a playful tug on Tony’s tail feathers.  
-  
Feeding Peter mulberries always set Steve off, Peter adored the sweet berries and would never turn one down. Tony might have fed Peter one or two but after seeing Steve’s reaction to the vivid red stool, well Peter had enjoyed the more berry diet. 

Peter also loved french fries, since the newspaper more people visited with them, and it got to the point that Clint had to intercede not wanting Tony or any of the other bird to get fat. Though on subject of weight it seemed that Peter was of a different type of raven, and a bit smaller, Steve tried to remedy this by feeding Peter more food. Thinking that was the issue, tony was more or less inclined to think Clint put the wrong sort of egg under him but he wasn’t going to compain. Peter was a good chick, his chick and he was already pretty good at nest building.

Several times Tony had come back to the nest to see little Peter is sitting beak open crop stuffed full and Steve makes a move to feed some more, he sees some space. So Tony steals the food, pushing Peter out of the way with a wing and shoving his open mouth around Steve’s beak to get the food.  
“Tony that was for peter,”  
Steve chastises feathers standing at attention. Tony flicks his tail.  
“He’s full, are you trying to pop him.”

Peter makes a sad noise unable to voice his concern around the beakful of crop food. He doesn’t want to pop, he’d heard from Bucky about ducks popping it sounded like a terrible way to go. His downy fuzz is almost gone and his wings itch, he’s so close to flying; it would be terrible if he popped now.

His pop Tony was going to take him flying soon, Peter carefully mimicked the preening he saw his dads do as he inspected his wings. He had feathers now, when he flapped a bunch he could feel his feet leaving the nest floor. He wasn’t sure if he could master flight like this, but he also felt he needed to get out of the nest and practice. Looking forward to get away from his pops and be his own bird.

For a first flight it wasn’t all that bad peter practically glided the whole way down. Whooping all the way down, he could see Tony in the periphery staying with him for the most part. Once his claws hit the ground he was running and flapping getting up in a sloppy hop. Tony touched down next to him and was waylaid but something under some mulch.

Peter turned to see what he was doing just in time to see Tony goggle up a fat caterpillar. Peter Darted over and crouched while opening his wings and then begged for some of that. It had looked delicious, this technique normally worked but Tony was looking back at the mulch. Peter looked at it to, Ah! There was another he hopped onto it and snapped it up. Swallowing it took a bit more finesse than he had, but eventually he got it down.

He chirped pleased with himself and ruffled his feathers while looking for praise from Tony, who was quite liberal and heavy winged with it. The short adventured when Steve came back, flustered and harried when he found the nest empty. He was busy dressing tony down when Peter hopped in and nestled in Steve’s breast. When the ranting ceased he started telling Steve all about his first glide and how he hunted his own pilla!

Peter weaned a promise from Steve that he’d take peter to the puzzle place as soon as he could glide better. Then resumed hop flapping under the watchful eyes of his pops. Making sure to inspect everything he came across as he looked for snacks.  
-  
With Peter out of the nest, and doing pretty swell with the flying. Tony had pulled back from parenting for the most part. Steve was still falling for the ‘begging’ much to Peter’s delight. Though now they could spend time with each other again, preening each other’s faces and rubbing beaks and sleeping. It was back to the good times. Not that having Peter was bad, the little guy was a pleasure to have around. 

It was just nice to return to how things were before the egg. Tony enjoyed the lazy mornings of laying on Steve with the sun’s gentle rays. Not the need to go out and hunt to feed the bottomless pit that resided in the nest with them. He picked at some of Steve’s face feathers, preening them into a better alignment. Steve sighed and leaned more fully on Tony as he continued preening his favorite partner. Around them the park was starting to wake up, it was an apt time for tony to snuggle up to Steve and settle in for a lovely sun rise.


End file.
